Downballot: Is Sanford the favorite in SC-1?

The AP sees potential 2016 implications in what happened over the last couple of weeks: “Rep. Paul Ryan, the GOP’s 2012 vice presidential candidate, voted for the ‘fiscal cliff’ compromise that raised taxes on the wealthiest Americans. Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rand Paul voted against it. And Vice President Joe Biden helped broker the deal with GOP leaders in the Senate. As Congress closed out its term this week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie accused fellow Republicans of showing ‘callous indifference to the suffering of the people of my state’ by not holding a vote on Superstorm Sandy aid. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined him in the rebuke.

“And Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton drew headlines for a different reason after being hospitalized for a blood clot in her head, an illness that raised questions about the Democrat’s political future. While the next presidential primary voting is still three years away, the political implications of the actions and whereabouts of the potential field of 2016 candidates hung over extraordinary year-end Washington drama.

Roll Call: “Sanford Likely Front-Runner in S.C. Special Election.” From the story: “His affair is almost certain to be a thorny issue with socially conservative primary voters but likely not enough to stop him from being one of the top two finishers in the March GOP primary. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held in April.”

More: “Jenny Sanford, the former governor's ex-wife, told CQ Roll Call last year she was considering a run. But insiders now believe she probably won’t pull the trigger on a bid. Jenny Sanford didn’t return requests for comment Thursday.”